webertime

Sierra Trading Post has Douglas LRS 76 and 74 swimbait rods for 100 normally 200. The 20-30lb line rating are them (don't show lure rating). I played with them a a fishing show and they are nice. They'd be great for this application. FYI lures are 1-4oz. I'd have grabbed one if I needed it.

Dude (hope you're doing well/better). So a 150 ain't a 150 between brands. Daiwa's Tatula 150 is the same frame etc as the Tatula 200. The 200 has roughly the same capacity etc as Shimano's 300 size. Although the Shimano feels a little more "tankish". Confused yet? So in effect the Tatula 150 is just a lower capacity 200, but structurally the same. A Shimano 150 or 200 is like a level smaller capacity wise. A Shimano 200 is not even remotely close to a Tatula 200... The notion that they are comparable is laughable. I throw swimbaits up to 3 oz with a 15? year old Shimano Citica 201 E. 2-5oz rod has a Daiwa Catalina TWS (sort of 150 size) 4-8oz rod has a Tatula 200. Never an issue with any of them up to 7lb bass and several big Pike and Musky. The idea that the weight of a bait will destroy a reel makes no sense and sort of a flat earth mentality. Your thumb supports the spool when getting ready to cast, the bearings support during. None of the internal parts get any wear in those steps of the process. The bait lands, reel engaged... now you are reeling in the bait. (Sort of a rhetorical question coming up) What freakin' bait are you reeling in that has more resistance than a fighting 4lb bass? To be clearer, no bait strains a reel upon retrieve more than the strain it experiences when fighting even a 1lb fish, let alone a 5 or 10... if a bait wears a reel out then our reels would last a couple fish then need to be replaced. Now if you early engage or don't fully disengage the reel on a cast or pull snags without thumbing the spool (bends axle or reforms the spool) then yeah the reel breaks but that's not because of the reel or lure. Get the Daiwa 150 OR a Curado 200 and you'll be fine.

This is my most ridiculous set up. Old BPS Extreme 68Mxf, Shimano something or other spinning reel. 20-30lb straight braid. My dedicated Fat Ika rod. I use it in incredibly irresponsible places with over the top hooksets. I love fishing with it.

Some don't like the edge latching system, you may be one of them. Plain old Planos with silica packs are perfectly fine unless you live in a rainforest.

Vermont 6lbs 13oz

You can get bulk on Amazon/ebay for like a buck each. www.rodprotech.com has amazing socks which you might want to use for your on Yak rods. 100% US made and custom

Jerkbait/Fluke Magdraft Freestyle Ned/football with a ned Shallow crank/lipless bladed jig

I can't tell the difference between them for smoothness as far as sensitivity. But the lighter the guide the lighter the rod above the reel and that helps sensitivity. I built rods that I'll never use braid on with all steel super light guides.

I only mentioned it as I've seen even the D Rams smash down on big water (cracked a screen).

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1022605854?pid=541771 Can you squeeze this in on the bow somewhere?

brother, both have been gone for too many years. Just personally, my bucket list place would be Lake Champlain, can't wait too long on that as the sands in the hour glass are getting low Either of you 2 head over to Champlain let me know. Lived on it for 40 years.

Dworshak definitely. Baccarac yup. Zimbabwe or South Africa would be cool too. The St Lawrence is magic. One river but so different in geography and architecture along the length (Mouth to almost A-bay, then the 1000 islands, then length to Ogdensburg thenr there to Massena, let alone Canadian side vs US). You know I'm not always catching, I need something to look at.

ALF sent me GLX spinning rod a long time ago. Issue was I ordered a Daiwa flipping stick. They were sorta shocked I called and told them about the oopsie. Sent it back.

Evergreen/Daiwa St Croix Of note, if it doesn't break in the first 6 months of use, realistically it didn't break due to a manufacturer defect.

Leave the small pieces in their package and use a couple Ryugi Hook Stockers. They're $18 and probably cheaper at jdm shops. It's like a little soft plastics binder. I have all my hooks I'd use in an outing in one and snaps, swivels, nails, bobber stops in another. Just slide the original package into the sleave in the Hook Stocker and you're good to go. No sliding into other compartments or getting a ton of water on the stuff you aren't using. Spro mesh bags are good too I used to use those but now they are relegated to hold spinnerbaits. Weights and jigheads go in a Plano Edge.

2 rods would be ideal but the Tatula can do jig hooks around 2oz just fine. The 79 Zodias is a great jid hook rod too.

Pretty well covered.

Can't add more about the reel. But... line I use 8lb tatsu and yzh. Pike will bite through 16lb as easily as 8 but you get more distance and better action on 8lb. It's weird I know but I notice no sensitivity difference between the 2 lines I mentioned. Using it on a Legend Xtreme with an OG Steez.

Keitech football jig with a ned & Zoom Speedcraw on a carolina rig

You can get them domestically or from Japanese shop for way less and free shipping. I believe that applies to all mentioned in the thread.

Perch profile is close enough to a trout. I throw a lot of white, Perch and Ayu colored baits. I have a custom Perch Baitsanity Explorer. A buddy of mine will paint any bait a Perch for a very reasonable price.

Tatula 7ft 9in swimbait rods are being cleared out and will do most of what you are asking for (1.5-4oz comfortably). I love mine. Truth be told the single/jig hook baits up to 2oz can be tossed on a ton of "normal" Heavy power fast rods. Treble baits in the same range would work on the Dobyns 795. Sierra Trading Post has the Douglas LRS swimbait rod (1-4 ounces) for $75-99 (changes often). It's doesn't list lure weights but the 7ft6in 20-30lb rod is it. I played with them at a fishing expo and they are very similar in action to the Tatula. Ignore the "extra fast" action as it's not at all.

Back when I first got a 6" weedless Huddleston (2011?) I took it out on a 64 acre pond near my house in Vermont. Best 5 went 27.58 on my first day. To be honest in all the years since I haven't broken that bag. I fish Champlain and the St Lawrence a lot. 5-7lb largemouth are not uncommon here but not a daily occurance. 5lb smallies are a touch more common nowadays. The number of 6-10" Perch thrown up by fish of that ilk keep me going with big baits. So here's some food for thought. Bass headshot food. Look at a Deps 250 head on, it's slightly larger than a zoom speedcraw on a jig. We see the length and sort of freak out but Bass are simpler. "Can I get it in my mouth?" Is about as far as it seems they think. The shadows popping up and following a 250 in is a big buzz I enjoy (obviously catching is fun, too). So 64 acre pond, 120 mile long lake or 740 mile long river, I'll always toss big baits up here.

Ixnay on the HP fishnay...

I focus on 4"-7" baits. Keitech SIF 4.8: the standard. Try the regular ewg hook with nail weights in the body rigging for some serious wiggle (can get expensive if bait tears off). Megabass Magdraft Freestyle: 6/0 beast hook, weightless to 3/8oz. Try weightless hook and throwing where would throw a frog (not cheese though) Duo Realis Versa Shad Fat 5" & 7": Sort of a hybrid of a Keitech and Magdraft but better price per bait than both. OSP Do-live shad 4.5": More wiggle and durable than a Keitech. Bottom Up Volup Swimmer 4.2": fish this slowwwwwwly and let fall. Great on a Free rig and Carolina Rig. River2Sea 120 DWalker on a light buzzbait. Heavy overall weight but the shape helps keep it up. Smaller swimbaits are (in my head) 1-2" of plastic with a little wiggle tail and the differences in catch rate between brands are negligible. I do like Raid and Keitech though. The bigger ones regardless of weeds/depth I use a screwlock 90% of the time. To me the ability of the head to sort of wiggle/pivot around the line tie is a bonus and seems to help with durability.